Shade throwing over being “fake,” buying a “divorce Porsche,” and bad hair extensions were all part of Friday’s premiere of OWN’s new reality series Belle Collective.
The show follows the relationships and businesses of five successful women in Jackson, Mississippi, including radio host Tambra Cherie; CEO of networking group the National Women’s Brunch Organization, Lateshia Pearson; self-made millionaire and owner of Goddess Lengths, Latrice Rogers; CEO of the Hamilton Davis Mental Health empire Marie Hamilton-Abston; and Mississippi transplant and dentist Dr. Antoinette Liles.
In the first couple of scenes, Tambra talked about the importance of reaching out to politicians, and spoke with Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba on how the state is expanding women-owned businesses and the recent taking down of the Confederate flag.
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Lateshia was introduced on camera with GIF-worthy statements as she talked about her goal to revitalize the city’s mid-20th century historic district, Farish Street, through her brunch female entrepreneurs network.
She is also the wife of a tow boater and opened up about the struggles of being away from her husband 28 days at a time while they flirted on FaceTime.
Self-made millionaire and self-described “savvy businesswoman” Latrice is the mogul behind a hair extension distribution company, with vending machines in malls and on college campuses.
Her husband Cliff made a pit stop for lunch at her Jackson hair and makeup salon, the man she calls “Zaddy” because he is 20 years her senior. Surprisingly, her husband joked about her being “fake” in the same way Latrice described Lateshia’s brunch organization as “fake” because she heard women gossip during events.
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And that's on period. #BelleCollective pic.twitter.com/rEWV8lVOEy
— OWN Unscripted (@OWNKeepItReal) January 16, 2021
The cameras then turned on mental health facilities owner Marie, who hopes to expand across the state. Besides being a busy entrepreneur, she also has a handful of kids to watch as both a mother and grandmother to young children.
Dr. Antoinette is originally from Michigan and newly single after her divorce. She is opening her own dental practice and the construction is costing much more than she first thought. That doesn’t stop her from continuing the project and looking for what she called her “divorce Porsche” at a local dealership.
The peak of the drama was at Lateshia’s long-awaited Southern Belle brunch at the Country Club of Jackson. Antoinette showed up in a sparkly pink dress that instantly made her feel out of place in a crowd of bright fascinators and hats.
Marie outdid everyone with her dramatic black and white polka dot dress and large hat that definitely called attention from all the belles in attendance.
Marie was not happy with her lace front wig and went after Latrice for selling her strands of synthetic hair, essentially filing a customer complaint at brunch.
Latrice defended her business and then stormed off with Antoinette as Lateshia was disappointed she didn’t get to share her announcement for her Farish Street project with the rest of the women.
The preview for Belle Collective’s upcoming episodes shows the evolution of the ladies’ friendships, hurdles in their personal relationships and marriages, and dealing with health scares.
Belle Collective airs Fridays on OWN at 10/9c p.m.
Watch a clip from the episode below:
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